Collapsible furniture



March 19, 1957 s, BANKS 2,785,735

COLLAPSIBLE FURNITURE Filed July 21, 1955 '3 N y l4 ISA l2 INVENTOR. EARL S. BANKS ATTORNEY United States. Patentbfice COLLAPSIBLE FURNITURE Earl 8. Banks, Youngstown, Ohio Application my 21, 1955.3. No. 523,416

1 Claim. (Cl. 155-149 This invention relates to collapsible .furniture and more particularly to a portable collapsible stool and table- The principal object of the invention is the provision of a lightweight, compact, collapsible article of furniture.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a collapsible article of furniture which may, in its preferred form, be used as a stool and in a slightly modified form may be used as a table.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a collapsible article of furniture, the uppermost portion of which comprises a section of fabric material stretched tightly to form a seat or table top.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a simple and inexpensive form of collapsible furniture which may be readily assembled and used and quickly disassembled and transported.

The portable collapsible article of furniture disclosed herein is primarily intended to provide campers or picnickers or the like with suitable furniture which at the same time is light in weight and capable of being transported in a very small package.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being the intention to cover all changes and modifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for purposes of the disclosure, which do not constitute departures from the function and scope of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a stool.

Figure 2 is a top plan view with parts broken away taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a horizontal cross section taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a cross section taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1 with parts broken away. c

Figure 5 is a section taken on line 5-5 of Figure 2 with parts broken away, dotted lines illustrating an alternate position of the parts.

Figure 6 is a side elevation of a table with parts broken away.

By referring to the drawings and Figures 1 through 5 in particular wherein the preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated, it will be seen that an article of furniture comprising a stool or portable seat is disclosed and which comprises a tubular body member 10 apertured as at 11 longitudinally thereof and provided with a collar 12 adjacent one end thereof. The upper end of the tubular body member 10 extends through and beyond the collar 12, as best shown in Figure 5 of the drawings.

A centrally apertured supporting bracket 13 is remov ably positioned on the upper end of the tubular body member 10 and rests on the collar 12. The bracket 13 is provided with a plurality of apertures 14-14 circumferentially spaced thereabout, each of the apertures 14-14 having an enlarged lower portion and a slot-like upper. portion, the slot-like portions being disposed radially of the bracket 13.

A plurality of arms 15-15 are provided with spheres 16 on each of their innermost ends, the spheres 16 being nested in the enlarged lower portions of the apertures 14 with the arms 15 extending through the slot-like por- A retainer plate 13A is fastened to the bottom of the bracket 13 to retain the sphere 16 and arms 15 in the bracket 13.

Each of the arms 15 has a T-head 17 on its outermost end, and a circular section-of fabric 18, such as canvas,

is hemmed about the peripheral edge as at 19 so as to enclose each of the T-heads 17 on the ends of the arms 15 in said hem, as best shown in Figure 3 of the drawings.

It will thus be seen that when the arms 15 are moved to near-horizontal position, as shown in the several figures of the drawings, the fabric 18 will be stretched to substantially horizontal position where it may be used as a seat.

In order that the tubular body member 10 may be held upright and in elevated relation to a supporting surface, a secondary apertured bracket 20 is engaged over the lower end of the tubular body member 10 and a cotter pin 21 positioned through transverse openings therein and through an opposed pair of apertures 11 in a tubular body member.

The height of the stool may thus be varied by re-positioning the secondary bracket 20 vertically on the tubular body member 10. The secondary bracket 20 is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced, vertically positioned openings 22 through which the upper vertical ends of elongated U-shaped legs 23 are positioned when the article of furniture is assembled.

The elongated U-shaped legs 23 are generally angularly disposed with respect to their vertical end sections engaged in the openings 22 in the secondary bracket 20 with the exception of their lowermost ends 24 which are positioned at right angles to said upper ends and thereby disposed on a horizontal plane and capable of distributing the weight of the stool and the person seated thereon.

To disassemble the structure, the legs 23 are moved downwardly out of the openings 22, the bracket 13 is lifted off of the upper end of the tubular body member 10 and the section of fabric 18 pushed downwardly in the center to move the plurality of arms 15 to vertical position thereabout. The three parts of the stool may then be conveniently secured to one another to form a small and lightweight package.

It will occur to those skilled in the art that the same construction may be used to form a table with but a slight modification and the same is illustrated in Figure 6 of the drawings wherein a tubular body member 25 has a collar 26 thereon which supports a bracket 27 from which a plurality of radially disposed arms 28 extend in the same manner as the construction hereinbefore disclosed in connection with Figures 1 through 5 of the drawings.

A secondary bracket 29 is adjustably positioned on the lower end of the tubular body member 25 and legs 30 are engaged therein in the same manner as in the construction disclosed in Figures 1 through 5 of the drawings.

The arms 28 in the modification of Figure 6 of the drawings are longer than the arms 15 heretofore described and they engage the peripheral edge of a larger Patented Mar. 19, 1 957" dealer:- sesfib l Q fab ic 3. ,,v 'Wires; er: tods" 2 are defining the arranged" so that the hihgedto the ends or'the'arms 28 where they engage the edge of tlie fabric sranaatepmma dzvfiwardl i and engaged in slots 33 in the peripheral edge of the secondary raskuetzfl r l he; ircu m nal, f n as 1. hus stre ched gli lrtbie ee i he ems, qf he arms gs. andjisiisable as atable' top w 7 A, Pimic, p n k t an; a med 0i se r of the article of furniture, disclosed herein; For;

eemplegi ur p e es can. be usedr asstojols. and, one Piece e t: emav s dt'wit the; modifi d qp p r h e y r ns ysi usab e s a table;

.t7@il ith 2tbes@ n. that the seie al. Qbi ets oi. the ire ea s AhaYe. jeenme j by file eqltag ilzl mi tias- Having thus' describedmxinyention, What} claim, is; A 99 a2sih art l f 1 i qi e q nrisi e ub l m mber. ha in a llar, nwar y: i o e en h n ofjan apertured bracket having a plurality of radially spaced arlpsmovably secured thereto, removablyposi- 92's! matin s. 92, the, anertures are. eolazgeslmmularlyv 1 and the apertures of the bracket are slotted radially of the bracket, and wherein said arms have spheres secured to their innermost ends and disposed in the enlarged areas of said apertures, a circular section of flexible material having its peripheral edges secured to the ends of said arms, a secondary bracket engageable on said tubular member and a plurality 'of angularly disposed legs P0rt said b lar. mem P-PBIQP i iQ -esnser ilee eflefi eft il e t- UNI'JQED s aIEs RAIENIS 

